This all started with NFL player Colin Kaepernick. During a 2016 NFL preseason game against the 49ers, Kaepernick felt the need to protest peacefully by taking a knee during the national anthem. He later went on to explain why he did it. In an article written by CNN Kaepernick stated, “when there’s significant change and I feel like that flag represents what it’s supposed to represent and this country is representing people the way that it’s supposed to, I’ll stand.” Kaepernick also said he could not “show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” This led to many other NFL players doing the same and it started this whole big conflict, even breaking the tradition of teams going to the White House after every Super Bowl win. Many Americans feel offended by this, especially the people who lay down their lives everyday for this country: our American Soldiers. The national anthem is played to show our respect for these warriors of America.

What is the National Anthem? The national anthem is a short song that is usually played or sung during an important event. Important events that it could be used in are things like the NFL Superbowl or the NBA Finals. Everybody usually stands up and people remove any hats on their head. Then everyone looks towards the flag. It symbolizes respect to all the soldiers who have fought or still is fighting for this country. Here’s the epidemic:

It’s 2019. We are currently in a major conflict throughout the United States. Many people are no longer standing for the National Anthem. Why is that? To a lot of Americans, this is a symbol of disrespect. It’s our country’s pride for someone to sing the national anthem, especially during a big sports event. It’s seen as a way of saying thank you to soldiers fighting for our freedom.

“This is the most disrespectful thing I have ever seen,” stated President Donald Trump in an article on CNN. He’s one of many Americans that see this as a big problem. They feel that this is very unnecessary and all people should have to stand. Some people see it as a law, and if it’s broken, jail time should be required. Many people had very little respect for the former NFL star, Kaepernick. He was in for a whole lot. An HHS student anonymously said, “It’s not fair to our soldiers that people are doing this. We stand for the national anthem always, no matter what conflicts are going in the country. In a way it’s our little way to send a big message to our soldiers that we do appreciate them.” Many Americans want action done in response to this, and there has been. The NFL has a new rule. If you want to protest during the national anthem, you have the option of not coming out while it’s being played. Basically, this decision was made to avoid any more dilemmas.

Another student anonymously says, ‘’We don’t stand because the system is not fair. We want to stand up for black lives because all lives matter. Police brutality needs to stop in all places in the country.” Justice is wanted by many people in the United States. It’s a scary feeling to go out because you never know what may happens nowadays. Many people would justify this reason to not stand during the national anthem.

Many people would say that this is their way of protesting, especially Colin Kaepernick. He felt this was the only way his voice would be heard. That’s when they use the first amendment to argue the situation: the freedom of the right to peacefully assemble. These people aren’t bothering anyone. Should we target them? They do have the right not to stand during these significant events. Police brutality is a commonly known mix-up in the United States. That’s one important problem that we can’t seem to figure out. In 2018, there were over 900 related deaths involving police-related murders. Is this the way to protest peacefully, or does it create a whole other problem?